Samuell Williamson's Intensity Takes Much Needed Step Forward
It's safe to say that Samuell Williamson's first season as a Louisville Cardinal was a touch underwhelming.
Entering his freshman campaign as the No. 16 prospect in the Class of 2019 and a McDonalds All-American, the 6-foot-7 & 200-pound guard/forward averaged just 4.4 points & 2.5 rebounds per game over 31 appearances during the 2019-20 season.
The Rockwall, TX native showed plenty of potential - finishing as a double-figure scorer three times and having five or more points in 14 games - but also plenty of typical freshman moments. This also carried over into practice, where head coach Chris Mack has the perfect euphemism for how he conducted himself.
"It seemed like Sam was that lawn mower that you had in the shed for the entire winter before you first started to cut your grass for the first time in the spring," Mack explained to reporters in a teleconference on Thursday. "It just took him a long time to get going every day in practice."
It's a comparison that without a doubt catches your attention, but one that makes perfect sense.
But over time, Williamson began to shed some of these bad habits during practice. Mack says that he learned a lot from watching forwards Jordan Nwora and Dwayne Sutton go about their business, as well as when he was competing against them in practice.
Following a two-week pause from voluntary workouts due to a pair of positive tests for COVID-19 in the program, the Cardinals were finally able to reconvene this past Monday.
However when the team finally got back together, this time it was during the NCAA-permitted summer access period. Now instead of participating in just voluntary workouts, the players could partake in up to eight hours per week for weight-training, conditioning & skill instruction, with not more than four hours of skill-related instruction per week.
Mack has been back around his players for less than a week, but he has already noticed a dramatic improvement in Williamson's approach.
"What I think he's done a lot better ... is he's ready from minute one," Mack said. "Now we're doing a warm-up drill and Sam's out there dunking. I think he understands the intensity that's needed at this level."
Not only that, but Mack notes that Williamson has become a much better shooter and that his confidence has grown in his transition from freshman to sophomore.
"He knows what to expect, both from his coaching staff and the game of college basketball," Mack said. "I expect a whole lot out of Sam this year."
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